The long-running ONE PIECE anime will change its broadcast schedule for the first time in approximately 18 and a half years. Starting April 6, the series will move from its current Sunday morning 9:30 AM JST slot to Sunday night at 11:15 PM JST. The move was initially announced at Jump Festa 2024 in December, but Fuji TV officially confirmed it again on March 12.

Shift to Late-Night for Seamless Manga-Anime Experience

This schedule change, first hinted at in October last year, has been a topic of significant attention. Since October 2006, ONE PIECE has aired in a morning timeslot, but with this shift to late-night, it will now be broadcast nationwide at a time that closely aligns with the release of Weekly Shonen Jump. The reasoning behind this shift is to allow fans to seamlessly transition from watching the anime to reading the latest manga chapter.

A History of Timeslot Changes

The ONE PIECE anime first aired in October 1999 and has undergone several schedule shifts over its 25-year history:

Wednesdays at 7:00 PM (Oct. 1999 – Mar. 2001)
Sundays at 7:30 PM (Apr. 2001 – Dec. 2004)
Sundays at 7:00 PM (Jan. 2005 – Sep. 2006)
Sundays at 9:30 AM (Oct. 2006 – Mar. 2024)

This upcoming transition marks the series’ return to a nighttime slot for the first time in nearly two decades.

Voice Actor Change for Franky

Another major announcement is the replacement of Franky’s voice actor. Kazuki Yao, who has voiced the character since his anime debut in May 2005, is stepping down. Yao explained that he felt a gap had formed between his portrayal and his ideal vision of Franky, leading him to the decision to leave the role.

Taking over as Franky’s new voice actor is Subaru Kimura, widely known for playing Hanamichi Sakuragi in The First Slam Dunk and various roles in anime, variety shows, and dramas. Kimura will officially begin voicing Franky in April.

ONE PIECE: A Legendary Manga and Anime

Based on Eiichiro Oda’s manga, which debuted in Weekly Shonen Jump on July 22, 1997, ONE PIECE follows the epic maritime adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a boy who gains the ability to stretch his body like rubber after eating the “Gomu Gomu no Mi” Devil Fruit. Luffy gathers a crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, and sets sail to become the Pirate King by finding the legendary treasure known as the One Piece, left behind by the great pirate Gol D. Roger.

With over 510 million copies in circulation worldwide, ONE PIECE remains one of the best-selling manga series of all time. The anime adaptation has been on the air since 1999, and its 2022 film, ONE PIECE FILM RED, became a cultural phenomenon in Japan, grossing over 20.34 billion yen ($135 million) at the domestic box office.

Source : ORICON NEWS